It’s that special time of year again – the air is starting to get crisp, the leaves are starting to change color, and the postseason is just around the corner. It’s also the time of year that teams often choose to “haze” all of their rookie players (including September call-ups) by making them wear insane costumes on the airplane during a road trip. Sometimes it could possibly save your life – think back to 2004 when Indians pitcher Kyle Denney was wearing go-go boots as part of a USC cheerleader’s uniform while the team was on a trip to Kansas City. When their team bus was shot at, Denney’s boot absorbed the bullet and kept him from a more serious injury.

So last night, the rookies of the 2013 Indians wore costumes on the way to the airport for their trip to Minnesota. While you can look at some of the costumes here, I noticed something interesting when I was scanning through the pictures. Weren’t some of these costumes that were held over from the team’s Harlem Shake video earlier this year, or is it just a coincidence? Do the Indians just have a closet full of costumes for the players, or do they get some kind of discount with multiple rentals?

Let’s start with Danny Salazar, for example. Here he’s dressed as a penguin, while Jose Ramirez is in a Spiderman costume:

The Asdrubal photobomb really makes this a classic.

Does that penguin costume look familiar to anyone else? Look at this next picture:

Costumes!

It’s like finding Waldo – did you spot the penguin(s)? Look closely:

Behind the rabbit!

That looks exactly like the costume that Danny Salazar was wearing in the above photo. Even though I did not see him in the picture, on this site, Joe Martinez is listed as Spider man in the Harlem Shake video. Could that be the same costume too? There are three penguins listed on that site as well – Matt Capps, Matt Langwell, and Zach McAllister. That just gives me more questions than answers. Is this Zach McAllister’s personal penguin suit, and he was nice enough to let Danny Salazar borrow it from him? Before the Indians decided not to add Capps to the 25-man roster this spring, did they say “Listen man, you’re not going to make the team. Oh, and by the way, could we have that penguin suit back?” It’s bad enough that he doesn’t make the team (and eventually ended up injured), now you have to strip the man of his penguin suit?

Earlier this week, Tampa Bay Rays owner Stuart Sternberg said that his team’s poor attendance this season may affect payroll going forward. We all know the Indians have had attendance issues this year as well. Is the costume budget the first thing to take a hit? When you’re forced to see recycled penguins, and Spider mans and Easter bunnies next year, just remember the empty stands from 2013.

So what does all this mean? I don’t know. I just know that I attended five games in six days, along with my average work/school/life responsibilities and I’m so tired. So very very tired. I think I just had A Beautiful Mind moment with some dudes in a penguin costume.

Swift

I’m sure it is some evil conspiracy, probably involving the Iluminarti and evil penguin aliens from planet Beta Gamma VII.

Stephanie Liscio

I taped pictures of penguins all over my walls. It’s starting to come together…I think I’ve found their alien mother ship.